IAEA Publications on Ageing Management

This section provides guidance publications to establish and to review effective ageing management programmes.

The Agency has developed a set of guidance publications to assist Member States in managing NPP ageing effectively, based on programmatic guidelines, ageing management review guidelines and component specific guidelines for major NPP components important to safety. This subsection also provides IAEA pilot programme reports on ageing management.

For further information, please contact SKALTO.

Programmatic Guidelines

The IAEA programmatic guidelines on ageing management are directed primarily to managers responsible for ageing management programmes and specialists responsible for implementing specific aspects of ageing management addressed in the different guidance reports. The set of programmatic guidelines consists of the following reports which have been developed using experience of Member States and, today, are widely accepted and used.

Data Collection and Record Keeping for the Management of Nuclear Power Plant Ageing (Safety Series No. 50-P-3)

This document provides information on the baseline, operating and maintenance data needed and a system for data collection and record keeping.

Methodology for the Management of Ageing of Nuclear Power Plant Components Important to Safety (Technical Report Series No. 338)

This document gives guidance on screening SSCs to make effective use of limited resources and on performing ageing management studies to identify or develop effective ageing management actions for the selected components.

Implementation and Review of Nuclear Power Plant Ageing Management Programmes (Safety Report Series No. 15)

This document provides information on the systematic ageing management process and an organizational model for its implementation.

Equipment Qualification in Operational Nuclear Power Plants (Safety Report Series No. 3)

This documents current methods and practices relating to upgrading and preserving equipment qualification in operational NPPs and reviewing the effectiveness of plant equipment qualification programmes.

A report on Proactive Ageing Management, which is being finalized, will give guidance on recognizing common weaknesses in NPP ageing management and application of the systematic ageing management process to strengthen the role of proactive ageing management.

Ageing Management Review Guideline

AMAT Guidelines (Services Series No. 4) is a reference document for IAEA Ageing Management Assessment Teams (AMAT) and for utility self-assessments; these reviews can be programmatic or problem oriented. The scope of a programmatic review of an NPP ageing management programme (AMP) includes AMP strategy, AMP organization (including adequacy of resources), AMP activities, AMP results (e.g. physical condition of SSCs), and AMP monitoring (self-assessment and continuous improvement process). A problem oriented review is focused on specific age-related problems or issues which could be specific components or structures, (e.g. pumps, steam generators, cables, valves, structures) or specific ageing mechanism (e.g. irradiation/thermal embrittlement, fatigue, corrosion, wear).

Component Specific Guidelines

The IAEA component specific guidelines on ageing management are directed primarily to NPP system engineers/specialists and regulators responsible for ensuring functional capability of a particular component. NPP and regulatory managers should read the last section of the component specific guidelines of interest which describes an integrated ageing management programme of a specific component. Several comprehensive technical documents on Assessment and Management of Ageing of Major Nuclear Power Plant Components Important to Safety have been issued or are under preparation.

The information presented in these reports includes component description and design basis, potential ageing mechanisms and their significance, operating guidelines to control age relate degradation, inspection and monitoring requirements and technologies, and assessment and maintenance methods. Respective roles of major NPP programmes in the management of ageing and an approach for integrating them within a systematic component specific ageing management programme are shown using an application of the systematic ageing management process.

Pilot Programme Reports on Ageing Management

The Agency has developed the following two pilot programme reports as TECDOC series: